Posts Tagged ‘aviation’

The Daily Mail reports that a Polish oil company worker, Jakub Perka, has discovered an “almost perfectly preserved” Kittyhawk P-40 that crash-landed in the Sahara Desert in 1942.

“Despite the crash impact, most of the aircraft’s cockpit instruments are intact,” according to the report.

In 1942 [the pilot] was a member of the RAF’s 260 Squadron, a fighter unit based in Egypt during the North Africa campaign.

By June of that year the Allies were retreating from ‘Desert Fox’ Erwin Rommel and his German forces.

On June 28 Ft Sgt Copping and another airman were tasked with flying two damaged Kittyhawk P-40 planes from one British airbase in northern Egypt to another for repair.

During the short flight Ft Sgt Copping lost his bearings, went off course and was never seen again.
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It was documented at the time that there was a fault with its front landing gear which would not retract and the photographic evidence suggests the aircraft had its front wheel down when it crashed.
[…]
There is also flak damage in the fuselage, which is also consistent with documented evidence of Ft Sgt Copping’s plane.

Filmmaker Mike Dorsey grew up hearing remarkable tales of heroism from his grandfather, who was captured by the Nazis during World War II. But when Dorsey realized the ranks of his grandfather’s fellow pilots was dwindling, he knew he had to record their story – fast.

Dorsey’s “Lost Airmen of Buchenwald,” which will screen at 2 p.m. May 20 at the upcoming G.I. Film Festival, makes sure his grandfather’s legacy is captured on film.

Last summer, Beechcraft finally came to an agreement with the union which kept manufacturing in Wichita. A couple of weeks ago, the company warned of layoffs. By way of General Aviation News, last week, Hawker Beechcraft filed for bankruptcy.

The struggling plane maker filed the pre-arranged restructuring agreement with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the Southern District of New York.

Operations will continue, and Hawker Beechcraft will continue to pay employees, suppliers, vendors and others in the normal course of business. To fund its operations through the process, Hawker Beechcraft has obtained a commitment for $400 million in “Debtor in Possession” financing

Not a good sign for general aviation, not a good sign for the economy.

The flight began at Calhoun County Airport (PKV) with pilots Dianna Stanger and Mike Solomon departing into a clear beautiful sky on an IFR flight plan. The mission: To transport a 4-year-old German Shepherd, “Sista,” to Cleburne Regional Airport (south of Fort Worth) and transport a second dog, Buddy, who was rescued from a kill shelter in Arlington on the return flight.

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Looking at the request board on the Pilots N Paws website will give you an idea of the hundreds of dogs a day that need to get somewhere. The site provides a location where private pilots willing to contribute free transport, and people and organizations who rescue, shelter or foster animals, can connect to save lives. Today the organization, Pilots N Paws, has 2,466 pilot volunteers and 8,281 volunteers.